


Spoiled

by WeaglesAndBrobeans



Series: A Very Capitals Collection [12]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: BFFs, Comfort, Exhaustion, Friendship, Protectiveness, Tenderness, Washington Capitals, care taking, more if you want it to be more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:21:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29482110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeaglesAndBrobeans/pseuds/WeaglesAndBrobeans
Summary: Since Dowder started school again on top of playing for the Washington Capitals, he's run himself ragged. Garnet takes good care of him.
Relationships: Nic Dowd/Garnet Hathaway
Series: A Very Capitals Collection [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1168709
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Spoiled

**Author's Note:**

> Ever since I heard that Dowd got a new lap top for Christmas since he's finishing his degree I've had this rattling around my head.

Nic could feel his eyes growing heavy as he scanned the article on his computer. They’d played a game tonight – a rough one at that, but he needed to get his discussion post in by midnight. So here he sat, sore and worn out and fighting to finish the assignment at hand.

“Fuuuck,” he groaned out, knee bouncing anxiously. A terrible idea popped into his over-tired brain and he slapped himself. The sharp smack of his palm against his own face sent a brief wave of shock through him, but the adrenaline only hung on for about thirty seconds before his eyes drooped again- this time with a slightly stinging cheekbone.

“That definitely didn’t work the way I wanted it to,” he murmured to himself and the empty room.

A few more minutes trailed by as he read and then reread the same paragraph three rimes. Just as Nic’s head dipped dangerously low, he startled violently to the loud crack of knuckles on the outside of his hotel room door. Gently, Nic set his new computer next to him on the bed and pulled himself to a stand. His bones creaked and he stretched his arms in attempt to relieve it.

As he shuffled towards the door with a slight limp -- the ache in his knee after the slew foot from Crosby still lingering -- he wondered who could be at the door. He hadn’t ordered room service. The boys weren’t supposed to visit each other’s rooms. It didn’t really leave many options.

Pulling a mask from the pocket of his sweats and looping it into place, Nic opened the door.

Standing in the hallway a few feet back from the door was Garny. He’d been staring at the strange patterns on the carpet, but startled a bit when Nic spoke up.

“Garf?”

Despite having been the one to knock on the door in the first place, Garny looked like he’d been caught red-handed. His eyes widened a bit and he seemed to flounder for a moment. Nic ran out of patience.

“Bud we’ve already been fined once. You know you can’t be here.”

That seemed to snap his liney out of his stupor. Garf thrust out his hands to present a large coffee cup and a bag of Power Up Trail Mix.

“Fuck, I know. But I know you’ve got homework and never think to like fucking fuel up when you need it, so I popped downstairs and talked the nice desk lady into brewing a pot. She was super great. Super helpful.”

Garny trailed off when Nic reached out and grabbed his wrist, steadying his hands which had begun to jerk about as he spoke. Gently he pried the coffee from Garny’s hand.

“Thanks Garf. You didn’t have to do that.”

Garny shrugged, shaking off the gratitude. “Gotta keep my lineys cared for.”

Rolling his eyes, Nic was about to call him out for being a big old softy when a massive yawn escaped. He cringed at the pity clouding Garny’s face.

“I’ll be fine. Especially now that I’ve got this” he pacified as he held the drink and snack aloft like a prize he’d won or a milestone puck. “Now get out of here before somebody snoops and turns us in.”

As the door clicked shut, Nic couldn’t hold back the grin pulling at his mouth. He really did have the best friend in the world. The thought was immediately chased off by a bone deep ache. He hated that he had to do all this alone. He knows Garny would have stuck it out with him, found away to talk him through the content and keep him engaged without having to dope him up on caffeine and protein snacks. He'd have snuggled in and asked good questions and also done his fair share of distracting, but it would have been so nice. His chest ached with it. He missed the physicality of their friendship. Sure he got hugs on the ice, but he longed for movie nights with Paige and Garny, the three curled around each other, totally comfortable and safe. He missed a lot of things, but Garny's actual physical presence in his life was pretty damn near the top if he was honest.

Trudging back to the bed, Nic ripped of his mask and took a long swig of the coffee. Warmth spread through his chest as he swallowed and he could already feel himself waking up. Maybe it was the caffeine. Maybe the warmth of the drink. Maybe just Garny.

__

A loud knocking startled Nic awake. He’d turned the assignment in at 11:59 pm and then proceeded to lie awake until 3am, the adrenaline and caffeine haunting him. His entire body felt heavy, like it could sink right through the mattress. But he couldn’t stay put. Someone was at the door.

Peeling himself up from the bed, Nic wiped at his sleepy eyes. He nearly opened the door before he remembered mask protocol. Stumbling back towards the nightstand his head pounded to the beat of the door being knocked on once more.

“I’m coming,” he called as he returned to the entryway. Opening it he felt less surprise to find Garny waiting in the hallway bearing sustenance once more.

“I thought you might’ve overslept when I didn’t see you pick up breakfast. You’ve got fifteen minutes so hurry. I snagged you a breakfast burrito and made you some tea. Figured you might want to sleep on the plane, so no wake up juice.”

Nic was far too tired for how endeared his heart felt. Usually Nic did the cooking and the caring in their friendship. Garny beat up wayward opponents, Nic made the popcorn and taped icepacks to Garny’s torn knuckles. But ever since Nic went back to school to finish his degree his best friend had been incredibly attentive.

Rushing to get dressed and brush his teeth, Nic couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief that he’d packed basically everything during his insomnia the night before. It certainly made this part much easier. Bursting out the door with a few minutes to spare, the two breathed a sigh of relief as they boarded the bus on time.

Shuffling towards the back Garny pointed toward an empty bench.

“Go back there and eat. That way you can sleep once we get to the plane.”

Nic nodded and complied, happy to curl up in the seat and dig into the now lukewarm breakfast burrito. He couldn’t complain though. He was spoiled just to have it. Spoiled to have Garny. 


End file.
